By Esteban Ponce | Founder and Chair of the Board Directors
Ten Years of Change
When I look back at the past ten years, what stands out most to me is change—not only in the children and young people we have worked with, but also in myself.
Ten years ago, many children in our community struggled with basic reading and comprehension. The local primary school was not able to fully meet this fundamental educational need. Today, children between eight and thelve years old read more, understand what they read, and, perhaps most importantly, feel at ease among books and among friendly librarians with whom they can talk. They come to the library in the afternoons and have developed a genuine familiarity with reading. Books have become part of their everyday lives.
I have seen an equally important transformation among our young people. Over these ten years, more than 260 international volunteers have come to our community, along with Ecuadorian visitors, partners, and people interested in our work from different parts of the country. Through these encounters, our young people have been exposed to different cultures, and different ideas of how to be a good man a good person. They have become more open, confident, socially aware, and interested in opportunities beyond what they once imagined for themselves.
Three young people from our community have spent a year volunteering in Germany. Three others are now studying at Universidad San Francisco de Quito with scholarships. For me, these are powerful examples of how a community can expand its horizons.
And I have changed, too. Perhaps the greatest change in me has been discovering the meaning of dedicating my life to work that I truly care about. After ten years, I am more convinced than ever that this project matters, that it works, and that it creates changes that open doors.
A Mano Manaba has not only changed the lives of people in our community. It has changed the way I understand my own life and my place in the world.
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